There are multitude of rich histories underlying the many Irish surnames in use today. The name McCaugherty originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Gafraidh. Gafraidh or Gothraidh equates with the English personal name Godfrey. Variations that start with the prefix Mac or Mc mean son of Godfrey.

McCaugherty Early Origins

The surname McCaugherty was first found in County Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat at Ballymacaffrey near Five mile Town in Fermanagh near the Tyrone border. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)

McCaugherty Spelling Variations

McCaugherty Spelling Variations

Ireland in the Middle Ages was inhabited by very few literate people. Therefore, the proper spelling of names was decided by a very select few. The surviving records for the time demonstrate that these scribes were often not consistent in their efforts for there are many spelling variations of certain common names. Some of the variations for the name McCaugherty include MacCaffery, MacCaffrey, MacCafferty, MacAffery, MacAffry, MacAfferty, MacGoffrey, MacGodfrey and many more.

McCaugherty Early History

McCaugherty Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCaugherty research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 198 and 1987 are included under the topic Early McCaugherty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCaugherty Early Notables (pre 1700)

McCaugherty Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early McCaugherty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the late 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape such hunger and disease. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name McCaugherty: Biddy MacCafferty who settled in Newcastle in 1804; Arthur, Charles, Daniel, Edward, Henry, Hugh, James, John, Patrick, and Robert MacCafferty all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860.

Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.

...

The McCaugherty Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The McCaugherty Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.